Gaston County reimbursed for providing police during DNC

Among the many things the 2012 Democratic National Convention will be remembered for is the massive police presence that was on display in Charlotte.

Multiple Gaston County law enforcement agencies participated to make that mutual aid buildup possible over several days. And at least one of them has received a ‘thank you’ in the form of a check.

Gaston County commissioners accepted a payment of $45,234.25 from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department last week. It serves as a reimbursement for overtime that was incurred by the Gaston County Police Department during the week of the convention in September.

Gaston County Police Chief James Buie said he’s not sure whether $45,234.25 was the dollar-for-dollar and penny-for-penny cost to Gaston County of providing officers for the DNC. When contacted Thursday, he said he didn’t have the reimbursement formula that Charlotte-Mecklenburg police used immediately at hand.

“But I know that amount covers the costs that we had,” said Buie. “For me, that was the bottom line.”

Buie and the county’s other police chiefs all said prior to the DNC that they would able to provide officers for the event without weakening law enforcement at home.

The huge law enforcement presence in the Queen City became fodder for news outlets covering the event, as well as late-night comedians. Supporters of the buildup argued it succeeded, if nothing else, in offering a show of force and preventing demonstrations from getting out of hand.

Police largely enforced road closures and pedestrian restrictions, provided security, and stood ready to mobilize in the event of public disruptions.

Buie said a very small number of his officers ended up working at the DNC.

“It was a low percentage,” he said. “We did not have a lot of people over there.”

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or twitter.com/GazetteMike.